Did Rafael Nadal really say female athletes shouldn’t earn as much as male athletes? Looking into the viral controversy

Rafael Nadal has faced backlash after his past comments on equal pay resurfaced, sparking controversy. His remarks, made in February this year, led many to believe he was questioning whether women deserved equal prize money in tennis.

Equal pay has been a hot topic in every sport, not just tennis, for several decades. Even though female tennis players are among the highest-paid athletes across all sports, there are still a few tournaments in the sport that do not offer equal prize money, such as the Cincinnati Open, Canadian Open, Italian Open, and China Open.

Players have differing views on the issue, with some ATP stars arguing that the gap is justified since men generate more revenue than women. Nadal addressed the topic during an interview with La Sexta, and a resurfaced video of his comments has reignited the debate.

"For me, the investment for women should be the same as for men. The opportunities, the same. The salaries, the same? No, for what? It’s not unfair, what’s unfair is that there isn’t equal opportunity," he said.

"For me, equality isn’t about giving away gifts, but if Serena Williams earns more than me, I want her to earn more than me. I want equality, I want women to earn more than men if they generate more than men," he added.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion continued:

“What bothers me is when people tell me that income and earnings should be equal. In tennis, for some reason, the payouts are almost equal in most events because at the time there was an opportunity for women’s tennis to be seen."

From his comments, it’s clear that Nadal wasn’t opposing equal pay for female tennis players.

He believes that women should have the same opportunities and investment as men, but salaries should be based on market demand and financial contribution. However, he pushed back against the idea of enforcing equal pay without considering these factors.

It's not the first time Rafael Nadal has spoken about equal pay in tennis

Rafael Nadal pictured at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals | Image Source: Getty

It wasn’t the first time Rafael Nadal sparked controversy with his views on equal pay in tennis. Back in 2018, he made similar remarks that raised eyebrows.

Speaking to an Italian magazine, Nadal stated that male players earned more than their female counterparts because they attracted more spectators. His comments came just a week after Forbes' list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes featured no women.

"Female models earn more than male models, and nobody says anything," he was quoted as saying. "Why? Because they have a larger following. In tennis, too, who gathers a larger audience earns more."

Others, including his arch-rival Novak Djokovic, have expressed similar views before, arguing that prize money should be based on viewership and revenue generation rather than being equal by default.